The City of Love
by AnnaCromwell
Summary: What happens when Artemis and his best friend Annabeth spend her birthday in Paris, the City of Love? Will sparks fly between them? (ArtemisxOC) (One-shot)


**This is a one-shot. Hope you enjoy, and I seriously hope my references are not wrong. Read and review ! **

Annabeth was disgruntled with everyone. It was her 16th birthday and no-one had even bothered to even wish her. Her parents had been considerate enough to do so in the morning, Minerva was missing since morning and Artemis, Holly and Foaly had been non-responsive. Angry with everyone, she switched on her MacBook and sat down to work.

"Humph! Nobody cares a damn about me or my birthday! My sister Minerva, at least she could have wished me! And Artemis, he **_obviously _**wouldn't remember his best friend's birthday! Anyhow, I'll celebrate alone!" And with that, Annabeth set down to her new article with a miffed mind.

Meanwhile, Artemis was busy prepping up for the event. It was Annabeth's birthday, after all. He had to make it unforgettable for her. After all, she was his best friend and he would do anything to make this day memorable. He was in Paris, and was at Café Louise, one of the best restaurants at Paris and just in front of the Louvre, which made it a perfect spot for a Renaissance enthusiast. He planned to take her to the Louvre as a part of the gift, and had double-checked whether she'd ever been to Paris before. She hadn't. Café Louise sported a 'closed' sign due to the exclusive booking made at an exhorbitant price.

"_Sono pronto per pagare guadagni tua giornata media di se si è disposti a tenere questo posto ha chiuso per l'intera giornata_," he told the manager in fluent Italian for it was being managed by an Italian at present. The manager stared in disbelief. The **_entire day's__ earnings_**? This was an offer too good to resist.  
"_Certo_," the manager replied. "_Posso sapere il motivo di questa, Signore?_"  
"_Nessuna delle vostre preoccupazioni, ma diciamo solo che si tratta di una persona molto significativi nella mia vita."  
__"E 'una ragazza molto speciale, Signore?" _the manager asked.  
"Yes. Very special. Very, very special," he said, then, realising what he said, blushed. "_Scusi_," and Artemis picked up the call, glad to have the phone ringing.

"_Bonjour, Artemis_," Minerva said.  
"_Bonjour, Minerva,_" he replied.  
"_Où êtes-vous?_" she asked.  
"_Au Vini e Vecchi Sapori._"  
"_J'espère Annabeth n'a pas appelé?_"  
"_Non._"  
"_Bon. J'espère que toutes les dispositions ont été effectuées?_"  
"_Oui. Ce sera inoubliable._" The manager was watching with disbelief, amazed how a 15-year old switched between Italian and French with the ease of a professional linguist. But then, he was **_the Artemis Fowl II, _**son of the multi-billionare Artemis Fowl I, and a reknowned personality across continents. He was one of the few child prodigies who were always in the news for some achievement or the other, and, if he got it right, the person in question was undoubtedly Miss Cromwell, who had worked with him for the Nobel Prize and one of the very few of his kind. She had to be his girlfriend, for no one would book a restaurant for the entire day and pay for the entire day's earning, just for a single person. He paid the manager the money and left with his bodyguard for the Louvre.

"Well, you must be Master Fowl?" A man dressed in formals said.  
"Yes, I am. Are all the arrangements done?"  
"_Oui._"  
"Good. The gallery, as you have been told must not be open for anyone else today. Anyhow, it is a Monday, so I hope no extremely important visits were scheduled today?"  
"No." In fact, a business magnate was supposed to visit the gallery on an impromptu visit, but Fowl had booked the Gallery for an exhorbitant price a month back and had paid especially for keeping it open in the after-hours. The manager had to oblige.  
"Very well. I will be here with the guest in 3 hours' time. Please be ready with whatever arrangements you're left to do. _Au revoir._"

"Hello, Annabeth," Minerva said.  
"Hello, Minerva," Annabeth replied, slightly exasperated.  
"Annabeth, I need you to reach Paris in 3 hours."  
"The resaon being?"  
"It is very urgent. Please leave now," Minerva said, her voice full of urgency.  
"Very well. I'm coming," Annabeth said. She packed her bags with just a pair of clothes, an iPad, MacBook, her phone and her wallet. She walked straight to the back of the Manor and was slightly surprised to see Juliet there. "I was at the hangar," she said, pointing to the hangar. "We have to leave for Paris. Minerva said it was urgent," Annabeth told her, and Juliet thought, Mission Firenze is in action.

The plane landed at a private airstrip at Charles de Gaulle, where Artemis was waiting with Butler. Oh, the expression on Annabeth's face! he was thinking, thinking of the incredulous expression which he would see on her face when she landed at the airstrip. She got down from the plane, a Louis Vuitton travel bag in hand, and sure enough, she was amazed and perplexed at seeing Artemis wait for her. All along, she thought it was an important meeting of some sorts, and here she was, staring into the face of Artemis Fowl II.

"_Bienvenue à Paris_, _mademoiselle Cromwell,_" he said with a smile.  
"_Merci Artemis__,_" she said, then hugged him, the two standing that way and whispering in each other's ears. To any ordinary bystander, it would seem like 2 lovers were reuniting after a long period of separation. "So, you planned all of this?" she asked him, whispering in his ear.  
"Not all. Minerva helped in finalising the location. I had the idea," Artemis whispered back.  
"How long have you been planning this?"  
"Since 2 months."  
"Two months?"  
"_Yes mademoiselle. depuis deux mois,_" he said with a mischievous smile. "Shall we? I hope you're anxious to see your birthday gift," he said, pulling away and extending an arm towards the car. The chauffeur was waiting, letting the two take their time. He was a stereotypical young Frenchman & was a very big supporter of the French notion of love. After all, the young Monsieur must have been anxious to see his beloved Mademoiselle. All this while, he had been restless and was being persuaded by his bodyguard to calm down, being reassured that the gift would be accepted with glee. Their passionate embrace made the fact even more clear that Monsieur Fowl had planned all of this for his lady love, the young lady standing with him. She was wearing a white sleeveless Indian Anarkali (minus dupatta) which came till her feet and white leather ballet flats, with a clutch of the same colour and bag to match it. Master Fowl's face had lit up with joy at seeing her. Oh, how charming they look together! he thought. The two were walking towards the car with their bodyguards in tow, when Annabeth tripped and nearly fell, had Artemis not caught her with amazing speed.

"Careful," he said, catching her in his arms, the other hand holding hers to stop her fall. She'd shut her eyes tightly and opened them to see herself staring into his face. They stood like that for some time, staring into each other's eyes, till Annabeth felt uncomfortable and took the support of his arms to stand straight. "Sorry, how clumsy of me. I should be more careful," she said. "Yes," Artemis said, brushing and straightening his Armani suit. He felt bad for he enjoyed it. How captivated he was by her eyes. They walked to the car in silence, with Butler and Juliet exchanging exasperated looks.

"Brother, there is a reason why Paris was chosen," Juliet said to her brother.  
"And what is that?" he replied.  
"Well, Minerva has a little plan behind all this."  
"What?"  
"Well, she visited a little church in Florence, which is purposefully made for unrequited, star-crossed lovers. It is the church of Beatrice Portinari, who was allegedly the famous poet Dante's lover. She is called the lovers' saint." At this Butler nodded, having attended a seminar with Artemis on Dante, at which the famous Harvard professor and symbologist Robert Langdon was a chief speaker. Artemis was impressed by that man's knowledge on the subject. Langdon had mentioned this church, and had also mentioned about what Juliet said. Artemis had scoffed on the fact at the claim that every wish made there came true.  
"So what did Minerva do? Artemis has no plans to visit **_Florence_**."  
"Well, there is a wicker basket in which people place wishes which apparently **_do _**come true. Minerva placed a wish in the basket, which was that these two fall in love in Paris, if not here, then in the next three months. She did as a joke, but there is proof that **_every_ **wish put in that basket is fulfilled. I think her wish is coming true, brother. At least what happened here is a starting for this. And you know, Paris is the city of **_love._**" Butler smiled.  
"I don't know, Juliet. Maybe what you're saying is true. Maybe we're going to witness something epic here. After all, this is**_ Paris, the city of love_**."

"Did someone mention Dante?" Artemis asked, turning around.  
"Yes. We were just talking about how Florence is an important city, partly because of Dante," Butler said. "Of course," Annabeth chimed in. "There is the Museum of Dante there, which is worth a watch," she said.  
"Why Florence? Anyhow, Annabeth, I have a surprise for you," Artemis said, and that was when Annabeth noticed his tie was missing.  
"You're not wearing a tie," she said.  
"I know. Tell me, which is the place you would love to visit in this city first?"  
"The Louvre, without a doubt."  
"Okay then. The Louvre it is," he said, and they entered the car and sat down. "_le Louvre s'il vous plaît,_" he told the driver, who complied and drove to the got down, and Annabeth couldn't help but look at him in awe and wonder. No one had done this much for her, and Annabeth, in a flow of emotions, hugged him tight. He was taken aback, for he was not used to such show of affection from the daughter of the chief of Interpol, who had been his best freind since a year. They were close friends, but today he felt strangely different for her, like they were something more; not just friends, but something beyond it. He did not mind her hugging him that way.

"Thank you so much," she said, tears in her eyes.  
"For what?" he asked, confused.  
"For making my birthday this special."  
"You're always welcome." **_Anything for__ you_**, he thought and hugged her back.

They walked up to the gate, where they were greeted by the manager, who was looking in a state of disbelief. His guest is Annabeth Cromwell, the daughter of the Chief of Interpol? She had been to Sisitine Chapel on a private tour, and he was the manager. The girl had vexed him with her amazing knowledge of the place, for she knew more than any guide could know about the place. "_Signior Brioni_," she said in fluent Italian. "_Grazie per aver reso così eccellenti arrangiamenti,_" she told him. "Shall we?" Artemis said, and the two went through the gates and into the Louvre. The Louvre, whose most spectacular work, the Mona Lisa, was a work of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest artists and architects of Venice. They first went around the main halls, which were adorned by several priceless paintings, several of which were painted by Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo. "This place is one of the greatest collections of art," the manager said, and the two just nodded, engrossed in looking at the paintings.

"Why are you wearing Indian ethnic today?" Artemis asked Annabeth out of the blue.  
"Just like that. I thought it would look good. Why?" she replied.  
"It's just that you look extremely beautiful in it."  
"Thank you," she said, blushing slightly.  
"Shall we head to the main Gallery?" he asked, determind to change the subject.  
"Sure, why not?" she replied, and they headed to the gallery. The two reached the end of the gallery when Annabeth said, "I wish to see the copy of Bianca Capello's study."  
"Bianca Capello's study?" the manager asked.  
"Yes. I believe it is open for viewing?"  
"Yes, it is, but no one wishes to see it." Bianca Capello's study was barely ever visited, and hence, had not been renovated.  
"Well I do. Shall we, Artemis?" at which Artemis nodded and they went up to the eloquent study. They were busy admiring the various artifacts when Artemis heard an ominous creak and the sound of cracking. He looked up and saw that it was the chandelier whose cord had severed, and Annabeth under the chandelier. It had hit the young girl and caused irreparable damage had he not yanked her from beneath the chandelier and protectively hid her face in his coat, putting his hand on her head and closed his eyes to avoid the shards of crystal to hit their eyes. The chandelier exploded and shards flew everywhere. Annabeth looked up at him in alarm, his face ashen. "Are you all right?" he asked, his voice choky, hand cradling her face. She nodded. The manager was looking with a fearful face at the two, and it was expected, since Bianca Capello's study had not been renovated in decades, and such an incident could have happened anytime.

"_È questo il tipo di disposizione che fai per un ospite d'eccezione?_" Artemis said, his voice dangerously soft and menacing.  
"I'm really sorry, Signor Fowl-"  
"I don't think sorry covers it. What if Annabeth here was hurt?" he said, motioning to Annabeth, whom he was still standing with in the same manner.  
"But signor-"  
"I don't think Louvre should have a manager who doesn't even make sure the visitors are safe from harm," he said, anger clear in it.  
"Signor-"  
"I am calling the curator," he said, and reached for his phone, when he saw how he and Annabeth were standing. Her face was barely inches away from his. I am far too close, he thought and instantly withdrew. He took out the phone and spoke to the curator in rapid Italian.

"_M. Adrianni, ce qui est inacceptable. Mlle Cromwell ici aurait perdu sa vie si ce n'était pas pour mes réflexes. La gestion ici simplement ne prennent pas soin du palais du tout. Je voudrais demander à la Directrice être remplacé par un beaucoup plus attentif et prudent, réfléchi et pour ne pas mentionner un tout avec le sens des responsabilités. Je veux être remplacé par Adriano Brioni demain pour des raisons de sécurité publique,_" Artemis told the curator Jacques Durant.

_"Oui,_" he said and cut the line. Artemis left with Annabeth, Butler and Juliet in tow. "Whoa, your reflexes were superb, Artemis. I was just going to pull her away but you acted faster. Thank God. I am such a useless bodyguard," Juliet said.  
"It's all right Juliet. You're fast, but today Artemis was faster. Thank you," Annabeth said.  
"It was my duty," he said. "I say we go to somewhere better. I am so sorry you received such a horrid birthday gift. I say we head to Arc de Triomphe, a little less dangerous."  
"True, but first, we go to a place to eat. I'm hungry," she said.  
"I have a place for that," he said with a smirk. "Come," he motioned to the car, and they headed to Café Louise. The place was, as planned, empty. She was looking at him with amazement. "Let me guess; this is booked," she said.  
"For the day," he said. She just looked at him incredulously. "Merdé!" she said. "For the birthday girl," he said, and at that, two waiters came with a Belgian truffle cake. "Happy Birthday. Now cut the cake," he said. She took one amused look and then cut the cake. He was looking at her with a contented look at which she turned around and put a little bit of chocolate on his cheek, startling him.

"Annabeth! What is this for!" he exclaimed. "For not joining in," she replied. He took a napkin and vigorously rubbed his cheek when she gave him a wet wipe to use. "This is Belgian chocolate. It won't come out so easily," she said handing him the napkin. "Thank you," he replied, then removed the chocolate. "I am hoping you won't plaster Quiche Lorraine and Ratatouille on my face now," he told her when they took their seats, and she laughed.  
"No, I won't," she said with a smile. The food came quickly and they finished their lunch in silence and left for Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe. They strolled in The Champs Elysees, which was miraculously empty of its huge crowds and had very few people on the streets, for this was September, when the crowds are generally missing. They went to the Arc de Triomphe, which is a magnificent structure imposing on the streets of Paris, thankfully empty today. I think this was the right place to choose. Paris. But it is notorious for being the city of love, and I think the air is affecting me too. Am I in love? Artemis was thinking, and looked at his best friend Annabeth strolling along with him. She is beautiful enough to make anyone fall in love with her. I guess I **_have_** fallen for her. I felt like we always were something more than friends, but today I am sure. Eiffel Tower is witnessing an unlikely confession tonight, he thought. He had been in thought for quite some time and not even looking at the Arc. "Artemis?" she softly asked, which pulled him out of his reverie. "Sorry?" he asked.

"I was just asking if you wished to go back home. It's 07:45 p.m. right now. A lot of time has passed," she said.  
"I wish to go to the Eiffel Tower. I have one last surprise for you. Come," he said, going to the car. They reached the Eiffel Tower and Artemis told something to Butler which made him smile. "Sure," he said, then told Juliet to stay back. The two went alone to the top and Artemis and Annabeth stood for some time in silence, admiring Paris' skyline, when Artemis said, "Annabeth, I have something to tell you".

"What?" she asked. He had a curious look on his face.  
"Annabeth, I-I," he stuttered.  
"What?" she asked, intrigued. Artemis had taken her hands into his, blushing slightly.  
"Annabeth, I-I-I love you," he said, looking straight at her.  
"My God, I thought this would never happen," she whispered.  
"What?" he asked, catching her words. The two were standing very close, and she looked straight into his eyes and said, "I love you too." She put her hand on his cheek and closed her eyes, as if committing it to memory. He did the same and the two kissed each other, living the moment. As if on cue, a volley of fireworks went out on the streets of Paris, illuminating the city's skyline, the two lovers oblivious to their surroundings. Juliet, smiling, called up Minerva and said, "I guess your wish came true."

Annabeth looked at Artemis, their faces glowing in the light. He was holding her close, arms around her. The two were standing and looking at the skyline, now full of illumination.

"I think Paris **_really _**is the City of Love," Annabeth said.  
"It is," Artemis replied and kissed her again.


End file.
